


Master's of Sex

by omgjasminesimone



Category: Open Heart (Visual Novel)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-05
Updated: 2020-01-05
Packaged: 2021-02-27 13:01:30
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,439
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22137490
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/omgjasminesimone/pseuds/omgjasminesimone
Summary: Under what circumstances would Bryce and MC have hate sex?
Relationships: Bryce Lahela/Main Character (Open Heart)
Comments: 7
Kudos: 20





	1. Chapter 1

“Do you want something to eat?” Bryce asks, shuffling around in the kitchen of his one-bedroom apartment.

“No, I want to get this done and get out of here.” Casey responds shortly.

There was a time when she would have welcomed home cooked dinner at Bryce’s place, but that was before their “relationship” (or maybe just friends with benefits, or more crudely, fuck buddies situation) ended badly.

Although they’d never explicitly said that they were exclusive, Casey felt it was strongly implied when they both agreed their hook ups weren’t casual, that it meant something to them. She wasn’t sleeping with anyone else, and she was blind sighted when she found out Bryce was.

She didn’t even hear it from him. She overheard the young pretty hospital pharmacist telling her friend about hooking up with Dr. Lahela after last call at Donahue’s the night before.

He’d invited Casey to come out with him that night, but she’d declined so she could get a good night’s rest before her first day as chief resident. It made her blood boil to know he had some pharmacist booty call contingency plan.

She’d just barely kept herself from confronting him in the hospital and causing a huge scene. Instead, she texted an expletive laden diatribe which she concluded with ‘we’re done.’

He’d called her almost immediately, but she declined all his calls. She did read his text, where he said he was sorry, and that he really cared about her, and that they’d never said they were exclusive.

Casey felt that this was no excuse. Anytime he tried to corner her between his surgeries and her rounds she’d shake him off and refuse to speak to him.

Their friends were really tested in the break-up. They didn’t really seem to think Casey’s anger was justified since they’d never said they were exclusive. But they supported her anyway as her roommates, no longer inviting Bryce over to the house. But she did see them interacting with him at the hospital in a friendly manner. That was annoying.

Eventually, Bryce stopped being sorry and started to return her anger. She was being completely unreasonable. And her refusal to even consider talking it out was childish. Eventually, he just stopped trying.

So, they gave each other space. They didn’t interact unless it was professionally necessary. Like this new project Dr. Ramsey had assigned them both to.

Casey wanted to protest when she was given the assignment, but she couldn’t do that without explaining her history with Bryce to Ethan. She didn’t want to discuss her personal life with her boss, so she was forced to suck it up.

She had hoped Bryce might refuse, but she should have known better. He would never turn down a research opportunity that might get him into some cool surgeries.

“Fine, hope you don’t mind if I eat then.” He throws something into the microwave.

“It’s a free country.” Casey retorts, opening up her hospital issued laptop. She pulls up the Masters and Johnson video files they’re supposed to review. Ethan wants to run a similar MRI study, although his isn’t sex related. There is also a neurosurgery component, and as Edenbrook’s premiere neurosurgery resident, Bryce was welcomed to the team.

Bryce sits on the couch beside her, eating his lean cuisine meal as William Masters and Virginia Johnson go over some dry study background on the screen.

“You know they got divorced in ‘93?” Bryce asks. He’s just a wealth of knowledge on worthless trivia.

“I’m trying to work.” Casey snaps back. Just because the only free time they could find to do this was 10:30 pm, which made it more convenient to do at one of their places, doesn’t mean he should act like this is some social visit.

Bryce rolls his eyes. “Fine, be a bitch then.” He retorts.

“Fuck you Bryce.” She replies, flipping him the finger.

He purses his lips and doesn’t try to speak to her again, attention focused on the laptop.

Eventually, the video gets to the actual sex. And even though the participants are covered in transmitters to measure their responses, and being recorded for science in a clinical setting, it still spurs a reaction in Casey.

She and Bryce have been broken up for 3 months, and although she did have a one-night stand to attempt to get over him, it left her unsatisfied and missing Bryce Lahela and his skilled hands even more.

She shifts uncomfortably on the couch where Bryce has had her every which way. She chances a glance over at him. He seems unaffected, diligently taking notes in the margin of his anatomy textbook.

God he’s so annoying. So dedicated and smart.

Casey turns her attention back to the video, where the female participant is about to reach her orgasm. Her brain imaging lights up as she reaches her peak, moaning loudly. Damn, she could use one of those. She knows she’s been a bitch lately, even to her friends. An outlet to release some frustration would do wonders for her mood. 

Casey looks over at Bryce again, and this time he’s looking at her too. 

“Fuck it.” Casey mutters, moving to straddle Bryce. 

His eyes widen in surprise as her knees land on either side of his outer thighs.“What are you doing?” He asks. 

She grounds her hips against him, and he lets out a low groan as his fingers dig into the skin of her yoga pants clad ass instinctively.

Casey doesn’t answer, leaning down to kiss him roughly. She bites down on his bottom lip, harder than is nice but Bryce doesn’t seem to mind if his quickly hardening erection is any indication. 

Casey pulls back to pull his white t-shirt off, leaving him in just the grey low riding grey sweatpants that look so great on him. 

“Casey, does this mean anything?” He asks softly when she leans in to kiss him again. 

Casey leans back, taken aback by the question. She quickly shakes herself out of it, discarding her own shirt as Bryce watches hungrily. 

“It’s just sex, it doesn’t mean anything. A familiar concept for you, right?” She can’t help that last dig, echoing what he’d told her about his time with the pharmacist. 

Bryce sighs. “Casey, how can you be mad when-” He starts, but Casey shakes her head. 

“Stop talking before I change my mind.” She warns. 

Bryce looks like he wants to say something else, but ultimately thinks better of it and puts his mouth to better use, trailing kisses over the parts of her breasts not covered by her black lacy bra. 

He returns his attention to her lips as he stands from the couch, her legs wrapping around his waist in a familiar manner as he carries her to his bedroom. 

“I’m sorry I called you a bitch before.” He apologizes as they reach his doorway. 

“What part of no talking did you not understand?” Casey replies. 

He deposits her on his bed, and they both strip out of the rest of their clothes without exchanging anymore words. Bryce crawls on top of her and tries to kiss her again, but she stops him with a hand to his well sculpted chest. She pushes him into a reclining position beneath her, and slowly lowers herself onto him. 

Bryce’s head falls back into the pillow as he lets out a pleased groan as she slowly rocks on top of him. His fingers dig into her hips, and he starts to push up into her. 

“Mmm….Bryce…..that’s good.” Casey can’t help but mutter as she braces one hand on Bryce’s abs as he increases his pace. He’s being rougher with her than usual, and she really likes it. 

“Just good?” He asks mischievously before slamming up into her, causing Casey to cry out at the sensation.

“It’s…great…so great.” She admits as she increases her movements to match his pace, circling slightly the way she knows he likes. 

“Fuck, you’re amazing.” Bryce exclaims when she starts to bounce on top of him. One of his hands leaves her hips, where he’s definitely leaving bruises, to squeeze at her breast. 

“Was it this good with the pharmacist? Was it worth it?” Casey asks bitterly. Damn it, why can’t she stop bringing it up? Why does she still care? 

Bryce’s eyes narrow as he regards her. 

“She didn’t mean anything to me Casey.” 

“That doesn’t make it any better.” Casey insists, eyes closing as she nears her release. 

Bryce stops moving.“You’re mad at me for breaking a rule I didn’t know we had. I can’t read your mind Casey. If you wanted to be exclusive, you should have said so.” He argues. 

“Stop talking.” She orders, doubling her efforts as she chases the relief that only he can give her. 

Suddenly, Bryce flips them so he’s on top, pinning both her wrists with one hand as he peers down at her. 

He pulls out of her, and Casey fights not to let out a whimper at the loss of contact. 

“What are you doing?” She asks incredulously. 

“Talking.” Bryce responds. 

“I don’t want to talk to you. And I was close.” Casey complains. 

“Too bad, because I do want to talk. And I was close too, but this is important.” Bryce responds. 

Casey tries to wiggle her wrists free. If they’re not having sex, then she doesn’t need to be here. But he holds firm. “Let me go.” Casey orders. 

“No, you’re going to listen. I was afraid to ask you what we were, what we were doing. My last girlfriend said I needed too much attention, like a golden retriever. I didn’t want to scare you off, come off as too needy. So, when I thought you didn’t want labels, exclusivity, I rolled with it Casey.” 

“Yeah, you rolled right into that pharmacist’s bed.” Casey replies, rolling her eyes. 

“Fuck Casey, how many times do I have to say I’m sorry?! I never wanted to hurt you. I didn’t know that you wanted to be exclusive. Hell, I thought you were sleeping with Rafael.” 

To be honest, it’s not like Casey hadn’t wanted to sleep with Rafael, but she didn’t. Because she was with Bryce. “I wasn’t sleeping with anyone besides you. I would never do that to you.” Casey responds. 

“You’re trying to make it sound like I cheated, but I didn’t. We never said we were together, that we were exclusive. All you had to do was say the word and I would have jumped at the chance Casey.” 

“I shouldn’t have had to say anything!” Casey shouts back. 

Bryce seems to be surprised at the vehemence of her response,and his grip on her wrists weakens. She wrenches her hands away and sits up, covering herself with his sheets. “Casey-“ Bryce begins. 

“You shouldn’t have wanted anyone else, regardless of whether we said we were exclusive or not. It shouldn’t have even occurred to you to go home with her if you really cared about me.” Casey insists. 

“I did care about you. I do care about you. Casey, I made a mistake. Please let me fix this. I’m sorry, and I love you.” Bryce swears. 

Casey shakes her head vehemently, this isn’t the way she envisioned him saying those three words for the first time. Casey stands from the bed and starts to redress. “You don’t love me Bryce.” Casey says sadly. 

“I do love you Casey. And if you love me, you’ll give me another chance and I’ll show you that I mean it. Please baby.” He pleads, reaching for her hand. 

Casey just shakes her head sadly, reaching for her pants on the floor instead of his hand. “I have to go.” She mutters, heading to the living room to get her shirt before slipping out of his apartment.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bryce works it out with Casey

A week after Bryce and Casey’s hate sex session, Casey is approached by the last person she wants to talk to in the hospital hallway.

“Hi, Dr. Valentine, right? Can I talk to you for a second?” The pretty hospital pharmacist who slept with Bryce several months ago, who Casey thought was basically her boyfriend at the time, asks.

Casey gestures at the lab results she’s going over. “I’m actually really busy.” Casey claims.

“It will really just take a second.” The other woman insists, smiling gently.

Casey resists gets urge to roll her eyes. “Fine.” She says shortly.

“Would you like to talk in the cafeteria?”

“Here is fine.” Casey insists, tapping her foot impatiently.

The pharmacist, Kelly, according to her name tag sighs. “Okay then. I just wanted to apologize. I didn’t know you and Bryce had anything going on, I definitely wasn’t trying to step into an existing relationship.” Kelly says softly, keeping her voice low so the doctors, nurses, and patients passing through the halls don’t hear them.

“You can have him if you want. Me and Bryce are done.” Casey replies, trying and failing to sound nonchalant.

“Really? That’s not what he said when I ran into him at the gym yesterday. He said you guys were going to try to work it out.” Kelly reports. 

Casey rolls her eyes. Why would Bryce send this woman here to talk to her? Did he think this was going to help?

“Well, I guess he got his wires crossed, because we’re done. So, feel free to continue to sleep with him.” Casey insists. Casey turns on her heel and walks away before Kelly can respond. She’s fuming as she heads to the on-call room where she knows Bryce is likely napping between surgeries. 

She opens the door, and there he is, asleep on the small cot. She closes the door loudly enough to wake him up. 

Bryce starts as he wakes, reflexively checking his pager before he realizes that’s not what woke him up. His bleary eyes drift up to Casey. “What-” He starts, but Casey quickly interrupts. 

“Why did you tell the pharmacist that we were trying to work it out?” Casey asks, tone harsh. 

Bryce furrows his brow in confusion. “That’s not what I told her. I said I wanted to try to work it out.”

“Why would you even tell her anything in the first place? Did you want her to report back to me? Make me think that all of a sudden you’re going to act like you’re in a relationship?”

“Why would I have asked her to talk to you? It clearly just pissed you off.” Bryce retorts. 

“Then, again, why did you tell her anything?” Casey repeats impatiently. 

“Because, at the gym, she asked if I wanted to come by her place last night. And I told her no, and explained that you were mad at me for the last time I hooked up with her, even though we weren’t officially together, and then I said that I’m not sleeping with anybody else, because I want to work it out with you.” Bryce explains. 

Casey leans against the wall, arms crossed. “Well, don’t deprive yourself on my account. I’m done Bryce. Sleep with whoever you want.”

“I only want you. And I’m going to prove it to you.” Bryce responds with resolve. 

“What do you think you could possibly do to prove that?” Casey challenges. 

“Well, step one is the celibacy. And then…. I’m still working on the other steps to get you back.” Bryce replies, smiling tentatively. 

Casey rolls her eyes, turning towards the door. “Don’t hold your breath.” 

“Mark my words Casey, I’m going to make you fall in love with me, again.” Bryce calls after her.

…

..

“What the hell is this?” Casey asks when she steps into her room a week later. 

“Isn’t it romantic Casey? Bryce filled your room with roses!” Sienna exclaims, collapsing onto Casey’s bed, which has been covered in rose petals. 

“Who let him in here?” Casey complains. 

“Come on Case, the guy had $800 of roses in a wagon, I couldn’t turn him away.” Elijah claims. 

Casey picks up a rose from one of the many bouquets on her floor. “What a waste of money, he should have given me a Visa gift card.”

“Jesus, your heart is ice cold.” Elijah replies, shaking his head. 

“I told him this wasn’t going to work.” Jackie adds, moving a bouquet from Casey’s desk chair so she can sit. 

“I don’t even like flowers. Shows how much he doesn’t even know me. What am I going to do with all of these?” Casey questions. 

…

“Jackie told me you didn’t like the roses.” Bryce says, leaning against the desk as Casey uses the head nurse’s computer to look up her patient’s symptoms. 

“You shouldn’t have wasted all that money.” Casey chastises. 

Bryce shrugs. “I’m not worried about the money. I’m a surgeon after all.”

“A surgical intern.” Casey retorts. 

“Same thing.”

“Very different salary.” 

Bryce laughs at that, smiling at her. Casey quickly looks away. Damn him and that perfect smile. 

“Did you throw them away?” Bryce asks, rising from his leaning position when he sees Dr. Avery coming down the hall. He’ll have to head off to assist with her hernia repair surgery soon. 

“No, Sienna made them into potpourri balls. You know she’s crafty. Sold them at the farmer’s market. She made like $200.” Casey answers. 

Bryce laughs again. “Did she split it with you?”

“Yep, $100 richer. But that could have been $800 if you’d just given me the cash.”

“But I’m not trying to buy you Valentine, I know you’re priceless” Bryce replies with a wink before walking away. 

…

..

Casey wakes with a splitting headache in an unfamiliar bed two weeks later. She glances at her bed mate. Shit. It’s Henry Johnson. A psychology fellow from Edenbrook. She’d gone out to Donahue’s the night before, danced and flirted with Henry, and when she was drunk enough, went home with him. 

She vaguely remembers the sex. Unremarkable. Nothing like with Bryce. 

Double shit, Casey thinks as she sits up, looking out the window. Of course, Henry has to live in the same apartment complex as Bryce. 

It’s not that much of a surprise, a lot of the hospital staff live here because they heavily advertise at the hospital and offer a slight discount. But it’s bad luck none the less. 

Casey checks Henry’s clock. 8:10 AM. Bryce should probably still be at the gym from his morning workout. She’ll just sneak out really quick, and not even have to see him. 

Casey slips out from under Henry’s arm, sliding back into her dress from last night. She catches her reflection in Henry’s bathroom mirror. Make-up from last night still on and smudged, her curls looking a mess. She sighs, preparing herself for her walk of shame. 

She gets into the elevator, glad to see no one else in it. She impatiently presses the button for the lobby. But the elevator stops on the 10th floor, and of course Bryce Lahela is standing there. 

He seems surprised to see her, but quickly school his expression as he steps into the elevator. 

Casey can’t believe her bad luck. 

“Long night?” Bryce asks. He tries to say it with levity, but there’s underlying jealousy and anger there. Casey rolls her eyes. 

“I don’t owe you anything. We’re not together. I can sleep with whoever I want.”

“I never said you couldn’t.” Bryce responds, somewhat testy. He takes a deep breath in an attempt to calm himself. “What kind of pie do you like?”

Casey looks at him incredulously as the elevator reaches the lobby. “Pie?”

Bryce nods. “I’m baking you a pie today. That’s step 3. The way to a woman’s heart is through her stomach.”

Casey walks out of the elevator, heading for the T stop. Bryce follows. “Why are you doing this? I told you we’re done. Maybe one day we can be friends again. But as far as a relationship goes, I’ve clearly moved on.” Casey gestures to her outfit from last night. 

“If it was any good, you wouldn’t be sneaking out of his apartment at 8 in the morning.” Bryce insists. Casey can’t really argue that point, so Bryce continues. “We’re good together Casey, and I’m going to prove it to you.”

Casey ignores that, splitting off from Bryce to head up the street. “I don’t like pie!” She calls over her shoulder.

“Liar, everyone likes pie!” Bryce shouts back.

…

The next day, Casey walks into the kitchen after her shift and finds her roommates all eating cherry pie around the kitchen table. 

“Bryce brought it over a little bit ago.” Sienna informs Casey as she pulls up a chair. 

Jackie cuts Casey a slice, handing it over. 

Casey chews thoughtfully. 

“So, what’s the verdict?” Elijah questions. 

“Hmmm…It’s not bad, but not amazing either.” Casey decides. 

“Come on Casey, you can tell he worked so hard on this. Don’t you see the indentations in the crust?!” Sienna presses. 

Casey shrugs, taking another bite. “He shouldn’t quit his day job.”

…

..

3 weeks later, Casey comes down with a nasty, highly contagious bug. She doesn’t want to infect her roommates, so she checks herself into a hotel south of Boston. She’s absolutely miserable, and pretty sure that she’s dying. She’s almost fallen into a fitful sleep when she feels a hand pressed against her feverish forehead. 

“Ahh!” She screams, rolling away and fighting to get from under the twisted covers. 

“Casey! It’s just me!” Bryce reveals, hands raised in a non-threatening manner. 

“What the hell Bryce? What are you doing here?” Casey asks when her heart rate has slowed down. 

“I heard you were sick.” He replies simply. 

“How’d you even get in here?” 

“Hotel concierges don’t ask a lot of questions when you just say, hey, I’d like an extra key to this room please, Casey Valentine’s.” Bryce answers. 

“That’s terrifying.” Casey mutters. 

“Well, in her defense, I look extremely non-threatening.” Bryce insists. 

Casey rolls her eyes. “Why are you here though? I’m in this hotel quarantining myself so I don’t get anyone else sick.”

Bryce waves off her concerns. “I have an extremely strong immune system. Haven’t been sick in like 15 years. So, I came to take care of you.” Bryce reaches to the nightstand. “Here, take these.” He hands her some medicine. “And drink this.” Some Gatorade. 

Bryce gets up from the bed, moving over to the couch and opening a textbook he pulls from his backpack. “Now get some rest. When you wake up, I’ll make you some soup.” Bryce instructs.

“You really don’t have to do this.” Casey insists, eyes drooping from the sheer exhaustion of being so sick. 

“I want to. Sweet dreams Casey.”

…

3 days later, Casey has recovered. And she hears from one of the surgical interns that Bryce is sick. She knocks on the door of his studio apartment. It takes him a while to answer the door, wrapped in a blanket and looking absolutely miserable. His expression immediately brightens when he sees her though. “Casey! What a pleasant surprise!” He greets, stepping aside so she can come in. 

Casey can’t help but give him an ‘I told you so’ look. “So, I guess your super immune system failed you?”

“This is some bug you caught Casey. Takes a lot to take me down.” Bryce insists, slowly lowering himself back onto his couch. 

“Have you eaten anything?” Casey questions. 

“I can’t keep anything down.”

“I know, but you have to eat something anyway.” Casey insists, pulling some warm vegetable broth soup from her shopping bag. “I also brought medicine, and fluids.” She reveals, sitting beside him and handing him the soup. 

“…. Did you think this would be the circumstances that would get you back to my apartment?” Bryce asks, chuckling weakly, but that quickly turns into a rumbling cough. 

“I had thought the only thing that could get me back here is more hate sex, but I owe you one.” Casey quips. 

Bryce laughs, taking a few small spoonfuls of the soup. He sets the soup to the side, leaning down to rest his head in Casey’s lap. Even she doesn’t have the heart to shoo him away when he’s so sick, because he took care of her. 

“Sweet dreams Bryce.” She murmurs as he falls asleep. She turns the TV on mute, watching it with subtitles. 

…

..

A few weeks later, Casey collapses to the floor of the supply closet as soon as she closes the door, tears wracking her small frame. She can’t believe she lost her. She ran so many tests, desperate to find why the young girl’s cell counts were so low. But she ran out of time, the child dying while Casey held her hand.

She knows who it is when the door opens, her suspicions confirmed when he gets onto the floor beside her and gathers her into his strong arms. She cries into Bryce’s chest, clinging to him desperately.

“Shh…. what’s wrong?” Bryce tries to comfort when her sobs show no sign of subsiding.

Casey just shakes her head, hugging him tighter as she continues to cry. Eventually, she’s all cried out. And then she tells Bryce about losing her patient.

Bryce wipes her tears away with his calloused thumbs, smiling sadly at her. “Do you want to know what I do when I lose a patient?” He questions.

Casey nods weakly, and Bryce stands, pulling her to her feet as well. He takes her hand, and gently leads her out of the supply closet, into the stairwell, and then up to the 6th floor. He walks her though the hallway and stops in front of the window of the nursery.

Casey looks at the newborn babies, all different shades and sizes. She can’t help but smile when she gazes at them, all bundled up in blue and pink hospital gear.

Bryce steps up to her back, speaking quietly behind her. “When I come up here, it reminds me that life goes on. It’s horrible to lose a patient, especially a young one, but you have to remember that you did all you could. And you’ll learn from this. And hopefully be able to save the next one. There’s always a chance to start over new Casey.” Bryce concludes.

Casey leans back into Bryce’s embrace, observing the room full of new beginnings.

…

..

After thinking long and hard about it, 4 days later Casey sends a text.

Casey Valentine: Do you want to get dinner? So we can talk about starting over new?

Bryce replies seconds later.

Bryce Lahela: Name the time and place, I’m there.


End file.
